Cargo · June 3, 2026
Glossary - Shipping Cargo Terms & Their Meanings
Complete List of Terms Commonly Used in Cargo Shipping and Their Meanings
A
Shipping Agent – Company that arranges cargo shipping
Air Waybill – Air shipping document
Land Transport – Land transportation for cargo shipping
Sea Transport – Sea transportation for cargo shipping
Ship Turnaround – Time between ship arrival and ship departure
Insurance – Protection against damage or loss of goods during shipping
Arrival Port (Port of Destination) - Port where the ship carrying goods arrives in the destination country
ATA (Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission) - Document to facilitate temporary shipment of goods abroad.
B
Cargo – Total weight of goods transported
Terminal Charge – Fee charged to shipper for terminal use
Bill of Lading – Sea shipping document that explains the shipping agreement between the cargo owner and the sea carrier
Bill of Entry - Import Declaration
Break Bulk – Shipment of goods separately in one container or vessel
C
Charter – Rental of ship or aircraft
Container – Special container for cargo shipping used in sea, land, and air transportation
Customs: Government office that regulates international trade and customs duties.
Customs Clearance – Process of inspection by customs authorities to ensure shipped goods comply with applicable rules and requirements.
Certificate of Origin - Certificate of goods origin
Cut-off Time - Shipping deadline
Crating - Packing
Cartage - In-city shipping
Consignee - Cargo recipient
D
Demurrage – Fee charged to shipper if goods are detained at port longer than permitted time
Shipping Document – Document containing information about cargo shipment
Draught – Water depth required by ship to anchor at a specific port.
Departure Notice - Notice issued by ship regarding ship's departure time.
Detention - Fee payable by shipper if ship must wait longer to load cargo.
Draft Survey - Ship weight inspection before and after cargo discharge to determine actual cargo weight.
Dangerous Goods (DG) - Hazardous goods that may endanger human safety, environment, or other goods during shipping.
Dry Container - Type of shipping container used for goods that do not require special temperature control.
Door to Door (DTD) - Type of cargo shipping that includes door-to-door shipping, from cargo pickup to delivery at destination.
Deadweight - Maximum weight that can be carried by ship, including cargo, fuel, water, and other equipment.
Delivery Order (DO) - Delivery order issued by shipping company to shipping agent to hand over cargo to recipient.
E
Export – Shipment of goods abroad
ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival, estimated time ship arrives at port.
ETD: Estimated Time of Departure, estimated time ship departs from port.
Export Import (Exim) - trading activity between countries involving export and import of goods
Empty Container - empty container ready to be used for cargo shipping
Equipment Control - inspection and monitoring of shipping tools or equipment before use
F
Forwarder – Company that arranges cargo shipping through various transportation routes
Freight – Cargo shipping fee
Feeder - small ship used to connect small ports with large ports
Flatrack - type of open container used to carry large or heavy cargo
Freight Collect: Shipping fee to be paid by cargo recipient.
Freight Prepaid: Shipping fee to be paid by shipper.
FCL (Full Container Load): Cargo shipping that fills entire container capacity.
FOB (Free on Board) - term in shipping contract where seller is responsible for cargo until loaded on ship
G
Warehouse – Temporary cargo storage facility
Gross Weight (GW) - Gross weight
General Average (GA) - General average
Grounding - Ship stranded
Goods - Cargo
Gas-free - Gas-free
Gross Weight (Gross Weight) - Total weight of goods, including packaging.
Gangway (Gangway) - Portable stairs installed on ship to facilitate visitor entry or exit from ship.
Gantry Crane (Gantry Crane) - Lifting equipment used to move containers from ship to dock.
Groupage (Consolidated Shipping) - Cargo shipping collected from multiple shippers to be sent together to one or more destinations.
Green Channel (Green Channel) - Channel designated for cargo shipping that does not require inspection or has no tax or customs issues.
Guarantee (Guarantee) - Guarantee given by shipper or cargo recipient to shipping company to cover shipping fees or customs duties that may arise.
Gross Tonnage (Gross Tonnage) - Ship size based on total ship volume, including all ship spaces and fuel tanks.
H
Handling Charge: Fee for handling or processing cargo at port or terminal.
Heavy Lift: Heavy cargo requiring special equipment for loading or unloading.
High Cube Container: Container taller than standard container for loading large or tall goods.
House Bill of Lading: Shipping document issued by shipping agent stating shipping details and shipper and recipient identity.
I
Import – Receipt of goods from abroad
Inland Haulage – Cargo shipping within the country
Incoterms (International Commercial Terms): International standard that establishes rights and obligations of parties involved in cargo shipping, such as shipping costs, risk and insurance, and customs handling.
Intermodal – Cargo shipping through multiple types of transportation
Order - Order of goods still in production or shipping preparation stage.
Insurance - Protection against loss or damage that may occur during cargo shipping.
Invoice - Document containing details of shipping costs and purchased goods.
ISF (Importer Security Filing) - Import security notice required to be submitted by importer before goods are shipped to United States.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) - International organization that establishes standards for various industries, including cargo shipping industry.
Issuing Bank - Bank that issues Letter of Credit (L/C) to pay seller for cargo shipment.
J
Jetty - structure located near coast and used to load and unload goods from ship to land or vice versa.
K
Cargo – Goods transported
Container – Special container for cargo shipping
Ro-Ro Ship - Ship used to transport vehicles and other goods that can enter through roll-on/roll-off door
Consolidation - Combination of multiple shipments into one larger shipment to reduce shipping costs and facilitate logistics management.
L
Express Shipping Service – Shipping service faster than regular shipping
LCL (Less than Container Load): Cargo shipping that does not fill entire container capacity.
LOI (Letter of Indemnity) - Declaration letter that transfers risk from cargo supplier to carrier
Laycan (Laydays and Cancelling Date) - Time period agreed between shipper and recipient for loading or picking up cargo at port
M
Manifest – Document containing list of goods to be shipped, including quantity and type of goods
Master Air Waybill (MAWB) - Main shipping document for air shipping
Master Bill of Lading (MBL) - Main shipping document for sea shipping
Marine Cargo Insurance - Cargo insurance on ship
Marking - Mark or label on cargo packaging showing information about shipped goods
Measurement Ton (MT) - Unit of measurement for cargo volume in shipping
Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) - Minimum quantity for cargo order
Multimodal Transport - Cargo shipping through multiple types of transportation modes
Multimodal Transport Operator (MTO) - Multimodal transport operator
Mate's Receipt - Proof of cargo shipment from ship captain to receiving agent at destination port.
N
NVOCC – Non-vessel operating common carrier, cargo transport company that does not own its own ship
Negotiable Bill of Lading - cargo shipping contract that can be transferred from one party to another by selling or giving authority to another party.
Net Weight - net weight of goods after deducting packaging weight.
Non-Delivery Report (NDR) - report of failed delivery caused by certain reasons such as wrong address, recipient not found, or goods rejected by recipient.
Non-Containerized Cargo - goods shipped without using container or other standard packaging, such as goods tied directly on ship or in ship's cargo space.
P
Packing List – List of goods packed in one package
Duty/Tax – Fee that must be paid upon receipt of goods at customs
Port of Discharge: port where goods will be unloaded from ship and released to shipper
Port of Loading: port where goods will be loaded onto ship
Pallet - flat platform used to transport goods with forklift or other transport equipment.
Pallet Jack - tool used to lift and move pallet.
Port - departure or arrival place of cargo ship.
Perishable - goods that are easily damaged or spoiled such as fruits and vegetables.
Pick and Pack - process of taking goods from inventory and preparing them for shipment.
Peak Season Surcharge - additional fee charged during peak cargo shipping season.
Pre-carriage - cargo shipping from shipper's location to port.
R
Reefer: Container equipped with cooling system to transport goods requiring controlled temperature.
Rail Transport - Transportation mode using railway to ship goods.
Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) - Type of ship that allows vehicles to enter and exit the ship through door on ship's side.
Rail Ramp - Area at port used to load or unload goods from railway to truck or ship.
S
Shipment: goods shipped from one place to another
Stuffing: Process of putting goods into container.
Stripping: Process of unloading goods from container.
Shipping Agent: company that handles cargo shipping, including documentation and other requirements
Shipping Line: company that provides sea transportation service for cargo shipping
Shipping Order: Document used to ship goods to destination and contains information about goods, shipping destination, and shipping cost.
T
Telex Release: Process of releasing cargo from ship using telex letter as proof.
Time Charter: Time-based cargo shipping contract where ship is rented for certain period.
Tare Weight: Empty weight of container or transport vehicle, used to calculate net weight of cargo transported.
Through Bill of Lading: Cargo shipping document covering all shipping phases, from cargo pickup until arrival at final destination.
Transshipment: Process of transferring cargo from one ship to another during journey.
Tank Container: Container specially designed to transport liquid or gas.
Trucking: Process of cargo shipping using truck from one place to another on land.
Transit Time: Time required for cargo shipping from origin to final destination.
W
Warehouse: place for storing goods before or after shipping.
Weight Limit - Maximum weight allowed for certain cargo, including weight of cargo itself and packaging material weight.
Waste Disposal - Disposal of waste generated from cargo shipping and loading activities.
Warrant - Document that gives its owner the right to buy or sell cargo in the future at previously determined price.
Waybill - Shipping document containing information about cargo, recipient, shipper, and shipping instructions. Used to track cargo during shipping.
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